Pulled Pork Two Ways

I’m a huge fan of pulled pork. I’ve made it in an oven, in a slow cooker, and in a smoker. As you can imagine, the best pulled pork comes from a smoker, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Slow cooker pulled pork isn’t bad if all you have time to do is dump the stuff in a cooker and come back several hours later. In my opinion, the happy medium is oven-roasted pork. It still takes hours to slow roast, but it’s fairly simple to prepare, and it tastes heavenly! Also, you don’t have to babysit it once it goes in the oven. Put it in, set the timer, and Bob’s your uncle!

Marinating pork before wet ingredients are added

I’ve included two recipes in one, so you can try it with a dry rub, and also a wet sauce mixture before roasting. I love them both. I think I like the wet sauce method more, and I prefer it with the smoky flavor of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (as opposed to the sweet chili sauce). But I have included several options because I needed to come up with different (read: not spicy) recipes for my wimpy family! I like stuff fiery, and they, well…don’t.

Pork with wet mixture before going into oven

Wet ingredients

Dry rub mixture

Pork with dry rub, garlic, and onions – before cooking

Finished pork roast

Shredded pork before barbecue sauce

I am going to be posting a recipe for pulled pork sandwiches with this pork and my homemade coleslaw as well – so, keep your eyes peeled!

The yielded servings for a 4-5 pound pork roast vary wildly, depending on your use (sandwiches, pulled pork plate, etc.), and who you're serving (kids, teens, adults, firemen, etc.!). There's a glitch in the servings feature below, so I thought I'd clarify that one roast could feed anywhere from 8 to 20 people, depending on the above!
www.ServingUpJoy.com

For dry rub method:
Rub minced garlic and 1/4 cup oil over entire pork shoulder. Mix dry rub ingredients and rub evenly into entire piece of pork. Place in airtight container and refrigerate for several hours, or preferably overnight.

For sauce method: Rub minced garlic and 1/4 cup oil over entire pork shoulder. Place in airtight container and refrigerate several hours, or preferably overnight.

Cooking stage

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

For dry rub method: Take pork out of container and place into a large roasting pan on the sliced onions and cloves of peeled garlic. Pour 1/2 cup water around pork. Roast 5-7 hours (adding more water as necessary), or until pork is falling apart when pierced with a fork.

For sauce-soda method: Take pork out of container and place into a large roasting pan on the sliced onions and cloves of peeled garlic. Mix sauce ingredients (all but cola) and rub over entire pork shoulder. Pour cola around pork in pan. Roast 5 to 7 hours, or until pork is falling apart when pierced with a fork.

Finishing stage

Take pork out of pan and shred with two forks. Add barbecue sauce to taste. Pour 1/2 cup water into roasting pan with onions and stir over medium heat until browned bits have come up from the bottom of pan. Add to shredded pork and barbecue sauce.

Serve on bread of choice. Top with coleslaw, avocado slices, and cheese.

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Hi, folks!

I'm Danielle. I worked in the food industry for 20+ years. I am a writer, chef, and part-time substitute teacher. I live in Southern California with my husband, daughter, and three dogs. I have a passion for teaching people the joys of cooking and baking. I love to knit, read, tinker around on the guitar and piano, and uke, and have fun around town with my little brood. I'm an annoyingly optimistic extrovert and I love making people laugh. Welcome!

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